Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni extended his 40-year rule, as official results showed he won 72% of the vote in last week’s election. The opposition dismissed the results as “fake,” while Museveni branded critics as “terrorists” in his victory speech on Sunday.
The elections were widely criticized by the UN and rights groups for severe repression of the opposition: Musweni’s main challenger, Bobi Wine, said he had escaped a police raid on his home on Saturday and was in hiding. The internet blackout imposed by the state ahead of the election was partially lifted for businesses, but social media remains blocked.
The 81-year-old president — who seized power in 1986 as a rebel commander — “became a darling of the West,” the BBC noted, as Uganda’s economy grew and the country saw big improvements in education and health. But he lost favor in 1998 when Uganda alongside Rwanda invaded neighboring DR Congo to help rebels overthrow the government.